Spike came back to himself and stagger to his feet, blood oozing from what felt like every inch of skin and still the chits came. The witches behind him were starting to drop from sheer exhaustion and a few feet away, Spike could see Angel tossing teen slayers away over the heads of their sister slayers. Faith showed no compunction and was taking out any who attempted to get to her. Buffy lay between them, where she had fallen after she had spoken the last words of "No No No!" after apparently promising someone that she would "Stake Spike'.
God that had hurt! Just like that time Capt Cardboard had staked him with that plastic stake, the fecking git! Hearing her say Angel good, Spike bad was also up there on the staking feeling.
He glanced over to where the Trio stood, safe behind their witchy shields as they worked to free squads of slayers to attack them.
When Buffy had collapsed, Spike had launched himself at the witch with plans to take her first. And bloody! But they had been ready and had slammed up their shields before Spike could get one claw on the red headed bitch! He had raged for a few minutes at the shield, beating it with his bare fists and using whatever weapons he could get to hand, but to no avail. With the Whelp standing there on guard, the fat, one eyed wanker, the Watcher and Red had joined hands and started some chanty thing.
Spike paid no mind as he tried to get through the barrier. Behind him he sensed Angel arriving from one direction and Faith from the other - apparently they had no problems getting in and setting up the portal space for Melis and her Coven, as behind Angel followed the recently arrived group. They immediately cast protection spells whilst a furious Melis gathered her power and started to throw fireballs at the protection field around the trio.
As they arrived, Buffy had stirred and Spike sprang to her side. But while she was moving and talking, she wasn't actually there. When she picked up a stake and homed in on Spike, he swore he left his heart actually beat once. She cocked her head to the side, studying him and his chest ached at the sad confusion he saw on her beautiful face.
"Spike?" Her soft little girl voice cut through him like a knife.
"Yeah pet, It's me." He stepped close and laid his hand on her face.
"Spike, where were you before you here?" She asked, confusion clear in her voice.
"Huh? Buffy, with you luv, you know that."
But Buffy merely shook her head and turned away, walking away from the confused vampire.
Melis threw another spell and grabbed the Slayer as she stepped by her. She stood in front of the vacant Slayer and peered into blank eyes and glanced back over her shoulder at the trio and cursed long and soft. At Spike's cold glare she curled her lip back in a snarl.
"Those cowards over there, they have mind trapped the Slayer. Don't get too close, we don't know what they are putting her through and we don't want to be on the receiving end if she decides to fight while locked away."
Spike spun around and glared malevolently at the sneering boy, safe behind his forcefield. He would drink from their very brainstems if they hurt his Slayer.
But those thoughts were quickly put aside as Red managed to free a couple dozen girls from their stasis and they immediately attacked the Vampires and Witches. The Heroes circled to protect the witches who threw up their own shielding spells as well as protect the vampires and the Dark slayer as they all fought to save Buffy.
Buffy on the other hand, shuddered and twisted like she was being electrocuted or tortured and every grunting scream cut into Spike like a knife dipped in holy water. At times she clutched her head, other times she rubbed at her chest. Anytime they had a break from the attacking Slayettes, Spike was at Buffy's side, calling to her, talking to her, urging her to fight, to return to him.
Hours passed. The Coven that had come with Melis spun spell after spell into the night, some aimed at the protected trio, others at maintaining the stasis on the remaining time frozen Slayettes. Protection spells were most often cast on the three fighters, trying to protect them from the repeated powerful attacks of full powered but green Slayerettes. Willow and Giles continued to free a handful of Slayers at a time from stasis, just enough to keep them battling. If the stasis spell broke on mass, they would be lost.
At one point, some Slayerettes had broken through and the battle was brought right to Buffy's face. Even then, it wasn't as though she even saw, though it looked as though she stepped back out of the way. Every now and then, Spike would feel shivers run across his scalp and he would look over to see Buffy staring at him, often while clutching a stake and Spike just knew she was looking at him and contemplating his staking where ever she had been trapped.
But it was when the blood started to gush from her nose and ears that Spike suddenly felt as though this was one battle they weren't going to win. Buffy let out a screaming sob and collapsed to the ground and Spike nearly dusted then and there from sudden grief that overwhelmed him from nowhere. It was only the faint call of a struggling heartbeat that drew him to her side and he begged her to hold on. Swore on everything they both held dear that she couldn't leave, they had only just found each other again. He found himself cursing the PTBs for daring to take away his Slayer. Tears soaked his cheeks as he clung to his Slayer as her heart skipped and stuttered from the strain of fighting an unseen foe.
Melis appeared at his side, her face white from strain and bloody where a hit had split the skin on her temple.
"Spike, once chance. That's all I can give you, help her break their hold." and that was all the warning he had. She slammed her hands onto both Buffy and Spike's heads and he screamed as white hot agony burned through his body.
*Connect Vampire. You have done it before. Connect with your mate and bring her out*
Spike thought about when they had ever connected in this bizarre way - he hated magic, so it wasn't like he … shit!
With a start, he remembered the Hell Room he had been trapped in when Buffy had appeared in his mind and saved him all that time ago. Snorting ruefully, he conjured up the room in his mind
With a start, he remembered the Hell Room he had been trapped in when Buffy had appeared in his mind and saved him all that time ago. Snorting ruefully, he conjured up the room in his mind but before he could do much more, he was battered from all sides. Struggling to right himself in the flurry of blows, he ended up curling into a ball, struggling to protect himself long enough to figure out how to fight back in his mind. Or was it happening to his body while he was trapped here? He couldn't spare the time to figure it out. Instinctively, he swung out an arm and caught what felt like a foot. With a yank, he felt it break and it vanished from his hand like smoke. So was it real?
But as quickly as the thought came to him, he felt the blows stop. Pain rippled through his battered body, the attack had been insanely brutal and left him feeling shattered. Literally he thought as his body suddenly telegraphed its damage.
Melis' voice drifted to him.
*Quickly vampire, I can only hold them off for a little while.* Spike could hear the strain in her voice and knew that whatever had been sent after him, was now taking it's fury out on the white witch.
But he didn't even have to call out because as he was about to straighten up, he felt her. Peering over his shoulder, he saw her blinking in the bright light of the white room, a hand up shading her eyes. The very sight of her, so weary and in obvious pain as she protectively held a hand to her chest. His breath caught as it seemed as though she must have heard him.
Soon he was laying on his back, looking up into the exhausted and deeply bruised eyes of his Slayer. She was telling him to stop talking and he realised that outside this mini mental room, he was still calling to his Slayer and that it was the only thing keeping them linked. When she finally collapsed over him and allowed him to claim her as his, he thought that was it. The PTB were just that cruel. To give them each other, then rip them away. And he knew he would be dust before another moon rose once he had extracted his revenge.
So when he looked at the trio after his return, it was with the eyes of the demon who had just lost its mate. It was with a blood promise of pain and torture and a bloody, screaming death and Xander felt his bladder give at the promise he witnessed. For the first time since Willow called him in tears and fury, he doubted what they were doing. And he knew as certain as he did that the sun rose every morning and set every night, he was going to die. Badly and very very soon.
But everything stopped that very moment.
Slayerettes froze in their charge they commenced once they were released from stasis. Witches paused in their incantations. Weapons waved and dropped from numb hands as white light started to fill the courtyard.
All light was sucked into the centre of the courtyard. All magics seemed to vanish from the mouths and hands of their casters. Even the very air seemed to be sucked away from suddenly gasping lungs.
And in the centre of the courtyard, lay the fallen Slayer. Still and lax, as one dead would lay. Spike, mere feet away, couldn't detect her heartbeat and the demon rose inside him and he roared his grief into the night sky. Red eyes flashed and he spun, intent on shredding those that had killed his mate.
But a whisper pulled him back, a faint calling at the back of his mind caused him to falter, head tilted to the side as he struggled to fight through the wailing rage that drowned out all others, except a slight tugging whisper. A whisper that caught and held his attention as nothing else ever had.
He scrutinised the pale body of his love and swore he saw her chest shift, just a millimetre. At that so very slight hope, he turned back to the fallen body of his love and dropped to his knees as he gathered her close and whispered his undying love.
And she started to glow.
Pure silence filled the courtyard as Buffy, once the Only Slayer, now one amongst a hundred, started to glow as though lit from within. All the light, all the magics seemed to swirl and centre around the still woman in the arms of her vampire. As the glow grew, Buffy's body slowly drifted into the air, gently pulling itself from the now lax grip of her stunned, grieving demon. Higher and higher she rose, slowly spinning until she was upright in the night sky, arms out to the side as her feet hung close together, as though crucified on an invisible cross. Her head rested on her chest and her jacket fluttered gently behind her as she rotated and all the light seemed to be sucked into her and it all went dark.
She exploded. Light filled the courtyard, washing it white from the sheer intensity and everyone cried out and covered burning flash-blinded eyes. Sight returned quickest to the vampires and they were astounded to see Buffy, floating above their heads, drenched in and radiating pure silver light, her head thrown back with mouth open wide and light streaming out towards the stars from her like a silent scream. Her every muscle was locked tight and her long blond hair streamed out around her.
On the ground below, Spike felt his skin start to tingle and burn from the inside. But he couldn't take his eyes from his Slayer or move away. She was Light personified!
With one last massive explosion of light and sound, everyone was thrown off their feet, ears ringing and eyes once more blinded as they all kissed dirt.
Spike wiped at his streaming eyes desperately. He need to see what was going on! But his demon was surprisingly silent so he took that to mean all was not lost as he struggled to his knees.
And at the gentle touch to his shoulder, his heart knew what his head had yet to accept.
Looking up Spike wept, for smiling down at him, with silver eyes and glowing hair and completely healed in every way, was his Slayer, his Buffy. He shot to his feet and folded her into his arms, sobbing quietly into her swirling, glowing golden hair as his demon purred in bliss at finally having his mate beside them both.
Rearing back, Spike grasped her face in his hands and peppered her face with kisses and murmurs of love and devotion. Buffy let him kiss her and he wept anew, knowing that they had both been through so much and knew more than anyone else just how fickle the Powers could be and he thanked whatever brought her back to him.
But as sight and hearing slowly returned to those around them, so did the danger. And with new eyes, Buffy turned to face the New Head of the Watchers Council and his Witch.
She stepped away from her mate and stepped, no - glided smoothly towards the now unshielded trio. Arrogant and still haughty, Giles stared down his nose at his wayward Slayer, still not believing what his eyes just showed him. Beside him, Willow summoned a spell and was about to throw it when with a mere flick of a wrist, Buffy defused it.
With silver glowing eyes, Buffy looked straight at Willow and shook her head, as though scolding a mildly naughty child.
"No." And Willow felt the familiar burn of fury at being denied what she always viewed as hers, the right to power only she could control.
But it was like those eyes could read her thoughts and with another flick, Willow felt all her natural and unnatural magics drain from her. Behind her she heard the witches she had stolen power from collapse, but she was struggling with her own sudden weakness to worry, not that she would have.
Silver eyes turned back to the Head of the Council and for the first time, Giles felt a shiver of fear work its way up his spine. It couldn't be. NO! This was exactly what they had been working AGAINST!
Buffy smiled mirthlessly at her ex watcher.
"What's that saying – A self-fulfilling prophecy, Watcher? For so many centuries, the council has worked so hard making sure that a Slayer never understood her true place, because a True Slayer would be beyond the control of the council, isn't that so." Buffy stood in front of Giles, her glowing eyes seeming to stare straight into the very heart of his mind and soul. And he found that he was very scared.
"B..Buff?" Xander quietly asked as he stared in wonder at the stunning creature before him. Her skin and hair glowed golden in the night light, while her eyes, once a brilliant green were now an almost reflective silver. As she glanced at him, he saw that her eyes weren't almost, they WERE reflective as he saw his own face showing back at him.
"Xander" Buffy sighed sadly. "Still dancing to their song and your own poisonous jealousies. Never have you learnt and it cost you the one you were destined to be with. But in everything, the choices you make is the journey you take. Here is our advice - now it is the time to grow up and learn. Your future depends on it." And she looked away and Xander knew with a sinking heart and a sweeping grief, that from that moment on she would never think of him again. With his head hanging low and without another look towards the two that had finally helped to end his childhood friendships, he left the Watchers Compound.
Buffy turned back to Giles and Willow as Giles spluttered his denial and frustration.
"You Stupid Stupid girl! What have you done?"
Willow glared at Buffy. "How did you break my mind spell? No one has ever resisted past the first part and you lasted 6!"
Buffy threw her head back and laughed, the infectious tinkling notes of humour causing those around to smile in instinctive response, confusing as it was.
"Willow, you can't EVER make someone stake their mate!" Horrified and shocked gasps could be heard echoing around the courtyard. Buffy simply continued on. "They will choose death first and we all know just how much the Slayer doesn't do death." She shook her head and smiled at the stupefied pair. But the smile dropped away and anger started to build in her face. Buffy turned to the squads of slayers, all now held back by the exhausted coven as they no longer had to divide strength. With a wave of her hand, she released them all, but her voice carried across the courtyard.
"Hear us now! Never again will secrets be kept from the very people who fight to protect this world. For too long, girls and women have been controlled, directed, lied to and killed, all so that the Council could keep control and all know that control is power. This ends NOW. That power is now in your own hands. Never again will the Council be run by MEN or others, it is up to you to run it as YOU all see best. Tonight, you have all paid a price for going against a Sister Slayer. All here who raised a hand against The Slayer have been punished accordingly. No longer will you be as fast or as strong as you were. No other will be called in your place should you fall. So as it was given, so it has been taken away." Silver eyes glittered and flashed and every girl and woman that those eyes touched, felt their very soul moan in terror. "Now Go. Gather your injured and those that were dead, return to your rooms and learn from this night, for we will be watching for those that fail in their Chosen destiny."
With that, Buffy turned back to the Trio. Behind her, girls fled in terror until the courtyard was cleared within minutes.
The Watcher's Council witches gathered behind Willow and Giles tried to leave as well, some attempting spells to mask their escape, but a glance from Silver eyes and a wave of a hand and they found themselves dragged kicking and screaming by mystical means to stand before the petite glowing girl.
Power pulsed, radiated from the small woman. The skin tickling sensation, hair lifting from the pure charge in the air and smell of ozone was strong and could be felt deeply in each and every magic user standing there and they all knew without a doubt, that if they survived this night, it wasn't because of anything they said or did now. Their fate was completely out of their hands and in the hands of one they had just tried to kill. A few of the Witches fell to their knees in terror, their pleas for mercy as dust on the wind for all the compassion that showed on the Slayer's face.
With a single glance over her shoulder at Melis and the Witch came forward as though called, falling to her knees and prostrating herself once she reached the glowing woman.
"Melis, you are pleading for mercy for these ones. What would you wish of us to do with them?"
Giles blinked. The witch hadn't uttered a word. What was Buffy going on about? The Witch looked too exhausted to even be still awake, yet there she was, utterly prostrate before Buffy. He felt his fear deepen at this, his breath now starting to catch as the enormity of the situation was slowly crushingly making itself known to his terrified mind.
"Most High Ones, with uppermost honour and all respect, I beg that you hear my lowly words. These ones were misled, their powers stolen, please allow me the task of taking them back to our coven and helping them to mend their ways. We will help them to spend their days making reparations, redemption, and work to make this world a better place." Melis stayed on her stomach, her face pressed into the paving stones and Willow and Giles looked at each other in terrified fear. This was much more deference being shown than a mere Slayer bonded with a vampire. Buffy studied the prostrated witch for a moment.
"You did what you did because it was right. How is it you saw and they did not? How can we trust that they will not be misled again? We cannot, for we see what may come and what may not. But we shall grant you this boon as reward. Therefore we entrust these miscreants to you. Should we find they have failed in their duty, we will remove them from this world. We trust that you will ensure they learn this lesson well." Melis nodded and Buffy smiled. "You did well Melis, the Old Ones tell us they are well pleased with you." Melis sat up and blushed, the shocked pride on her face plain for all to see. Buffy laughed her tinkling laugh again. "We are also to tell you that The One within asks that we pass on her thanks as well for everything you have done. And in honour of that' Buffy snapped her fingers and a coin appeared in the palm of Melis' hand. 'For you." The look of shock on Melis' face was enough to ensure understanding in all that saw that it was a very huge gift. Another snap of her fingers and Melis and all the witches vanished from the Compound.
Spike took this moment to step up near his mate and look at her familiar face with a concerned study.
Buffy merely quirked a small smile at his study. Spike stepped back and felt a growl grow in his chest.
"You ain't Buffy." He said with complete certainty and no lack of growing anger.
The Buffy Shaped Creature threw her head back again, that tinkling laugh filled the air.
"No Vampire, it is still she, we are merely borrowing her while we can. We have waited a very long time for a Slayer to Bond to a Vampire. This is the only time a creature of this world is strong enough to endure our presence. Be still Vampire." The Buffy Shaped Voice warned softly but caringly at the flinch Spike couldn't hide at the word 'endure'. "We do her no harm, and seek only to right some wrongs that should never have happened. We will return her to you shortly." And with that, The Buffy Shaped Creature turned back to Giles and Willow.
"Witch, we have watched long and tried to help you. We have sent many to you but you refused to listen. You constantly see only yourself as being right. You have played with powers beyond your knowledge and your arrogance warns us that you will never learn. For too long you have played with these powers like a child with pretty stones, neither truly understanding the damage and destruction you could wield. No longer. We strip from you every magic you have, birthright, given and stolen. Never again will the magics of this world or any other work for you. If you should ever try to defy this ruling, punishment will be swift and unquestioning. Do you understand us today?" Willow just looked in horror at Buffy.
"You...you can't do this! Who do you think you are? Some puffed up vamp whore..." Willow positioned her hands to call forth a spell and blood gushed from her nose and she collapsed beside Giles with a cut off wail.
Buffy's silver eyes moved to the Head Watcher.
"You. You who have betrayed your charge the most. You took the honoured and beloved position of Teacher and Father and used it to warp and crush that which should have been your Reigning Glory. And worse, you did it knowingly and with great malice. We find ourselves wishing you to a Hell Dimension most befitting of your crimes, but The One Inside pleads for our leniency, not for you but for the charges in your care and for the person you once were. But we cannot leave you unchecked in this world. So our decision is final. You shall be cursed to live for as long as your charges do. But you will be the very thing you despise amongst all. And should you ever seek to betray your charges again, you will be removed from this world forever to the world of our choosing." The Buffy Shaped Creature waved its hand and a ball of light covered Giles and he collapsed beside the unconscious Willow. No one left standing felt the need to rush to their side.
Finally, the silver eyes turned to the three remaining heroes.
"Angel, Faith and William known as Spike. To you we extend all our gratitude. We thank you for your strength and we sorrow at your sorrow. We wish we could change what happened or what may happen, but even we are limited in what we are able to do. All creatures have their own journeys to take, even us."
Angel shifted forward cautiously, holding his broken arm and supporting a battered exhausted Faith.
"Who are you?"
"We are the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, or as you know us, The Powers That Be."
Spike cursed long and hard at that.
"The Bloody Powers That Bloody Meddle? That would be bloody fucking right!" And the Buffy Shaped Creature laughed again.
"Vampire, you have always been an impertinent creature, you will be a good match for The One."
"Bloody oath I will be! I know that chit better than anyone else, don't I! So hurry up and bugger off already, I want my mate BACK!" At the last word, his demon burst forward and roared at the PTB.
With one last flick of their hand, a warm light lit on the three remaining Heroes, warming them from the inside out and when the light faded, they realized that all wounds were healed. New wounds and old scars were gone, troubled parts no longer ached and they were left feeling revitalised and rejuvenated. They looked at each in stunned and quiet shock. Faith was the first to break the stillness as she hollered and climbed Angel like a tree.
"WE WON? VAMPBOY WE WON!" She yelled into the night as Angel laughed his own joy and hugged the dark Slayer to him and spun her round.
As soon as the light had faded, Spike had leapt to catch the falling Slayer and buried his face into now blonde hair, scenting the familiar scent and feeling it settle his aching heart finally. A sigh danced across his chest and he relaxed his grip in order to peer down at his mate as he held her across his knees in the middle of the Watchers Council Courtyard as the moon streamed down around them.
His heart sang as green eyes shone back at him and he crushed her back to him in relief.
"Thank Christ!" He murmured and kissed her hard, chuckling at her giggle.
"Anyone would think you missed me Spike." All he could do was hold her to him, because truer words had never been spoken.
